The present invention relates to an intravenous catheter lock combination and more particularly to an improved catheter/heparin lock combination and the method of its use.
It is frequently necessary in a hospital or emergency setting for a physician, nurse, paramedic or other professional attending a patient to administer fluids to the patient. This is often accomplished by catheterizing the patient through the isertion of a catheter, or tube, into one of the patient's veins. In general, the insertion of the catheter occurs in a vein in one of the patient's extremities.
At the present time, the technique of catheterization is accomplished, first, by the introduction into the patient's vein of a needle enclosing which, in sleeve-like fashion, is an intravenous catheter. The needle penetrates the wall of the vein and as it is inserted into the lumen of the vein, the catheter follows. With the catheter thereby introduced into the vein, the needle is removed. Prior to needle removal, it is common practice to draw a small quantity of blood into the needle in order to verify that the vein has been entered. At this point, both catheter and needle contain blood from the patient.
Immediately prior to the time the needle is removed, pressure is applied to the vein at a point distal to the catheter/needle insertion point in order to prevent the extravasation of blood from the catheter.
As a general rule, at this point the catheter is connected to a fluid source such as a saline bag by intravenous tubing ("IV tubing"). In the present art, intermediate the fluid source and the catheter one or more IV ports are located. These ports are usually chambers located against, parallel to and in communication with the IV tubing and which are capped at their outer end by a rubber-like, resealable membrane. The ports are utilized for the administration of medicines and drugs into the fluid stream while the patient is still connected to the fluid source. Such utilization is seen, for example, in the treatment of hemophiliacs when it is necessary to administer Factor 8 concentrate, an intravenous medication to enchance blood clotting. In practice, the technique commonly employed is to clamp the IV tubing and inject the medication through an IV port. After injection of the medication into the fluid stream, the needle is removed from the IV port and leak tight integrity is maintained by virtue of the resealable membrane. In other cases, such as those where the patient is diabetic and in ketoacidosis, insulin may be introduced into the IV fluid stream through an IV port.
As is illustrated by the above examples, the IV ports provide flexibility but require continued hookup of the patient to the IV bag. At present, when the patient has attained satisfactory fluid balance and the need continues for access to the patient's vein for administration of medication, a conversion to a heparin lock is effected. The term "heparin lock" denotes an apparatus, indwelling the patient's vein for a period of time and utilized for the introduction of medication into the patient's vein. The heparin lock is flushed from time to time with heparin in order to prevent coagulation of blood in the lock.
The conventional method for accomplishing conversion from hookup to the IV bag to the heparin lock requires the performance of the following steps: (1) removal of the intravenous tubing from the end of the catheter, that is at the end proximal to the insertion point of the catheter into the patient's vein, (2) applying pressure distal to the catheter insertion point to prevent blood from escaping from the now open end of the catheter, (3) the procurement of a heparin lock from its sterile container and (4) the insertion of the heparin lock into the catheter.
A disadvantage of this procedure is the cost involved since two sterile packs must be utilized. The first of such packs is comprised of the needle and the tubing connecting the patient to the fluid source. The second is the heparin lock itself. A second, and more serious, disadvantage is extravasation from the open catheter can easily occur with potential contamination of an operating theatre, for example, and of the medical staff itself. While this consideration has been one historically of concern to the medical staff when a patient with an infectious disease is treated, the presence of the AIDS virus in the body of some patients now makes the potential for medical staff contamination a life threatening event.
As more fully discussed below, the present invention comprises an IV catheter/heparin lock combination which reduces the conversion process to a one step procedure which is more economical than current methods, which presents a more easily performed procedure and which significantly reduces the potential for medical staff contamination by significantly reducing the potential for medical staff contamination by a patient's blood. In addition, the present invention provides the advantage of regulating the flow of IV fluids close to the point of entry into the patient's vein rather than, as presently seen, at the fluid source.